Bag holder



Oct. 19, 1943. J. J. NEUMAN BAG HOLDER Filed oct. 1, .1942

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 19, 1943. J. J. NEUMAN 2,332,002

BAG HOLDER Filed Oct. 1, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 C. p W y Ar ofe/vfy Patented Oct. 19, 1943 UNETED STATES FTENT OFFICE BAG HOLDER Jacob J. Neuman, South Salem, N. Y. Application October 1, 1942, Serial No. 460,357

Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in bag holders for bag filling mach'ines and is an improvement over the bag holders disclosed in prior Patent No. 2,159,858, issued May 23, 1939.

In the past, considerable diliculty and loss of time have been experienced in filling paper bags or the like of the gusset type, due to distortion of the gussets during the lilling operation and the necessity for the operator to reform or reshape the gussets before feeding the lled bag to the sewing machine or other bag closing device. The time required for the operator to reshape the gussets for the closing operation has been considerably more than that required for the filling operation and the closing operation with the result that production has been seriously impaired.

It isY therefore one of the primary objects of the present invention to overcome the above difficulties and to this end I provide a bag holding unit of novel construction and operation by means of which the bag is held for the filling operation with the gussets in folded condition so that upon release of the illed bag, the same is ready to be closed without requiring reshaping of the gussets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag holding and clamping unit designed for rapid action and in which the Various moving parts thereof are cushioned to eliminate any shock and thereby overcomeV the objections in bag holders heretofore known.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a bag holding unit of novel construction which permits quick and even release of the bag after the filling operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bag holding unit with novel clamping elements each formed as a separate pair or movable arms to facilitate the nlling of paper bags of the gusset type with the gussets maintained in folded condition and clamped between the arms of each of the clamping elements, thereby permitting the bag to be shaken more vigorously to compact the contents without danger of tearing the bag due to the added strength provided at the supporting points of the bag by the multiple-layer structure of the folded gussets; moreover, as the gussets are held in folded condition, the necessity and consequent loss of time on the part of the operator to reshape the gussets for the bag closing or sewing operation are eliminated.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel bag holding unit equally adaptable to the lling of cloth' bags without gussets and to paper bags with folded gussets without alteration of any of the parts of the bag holdn ing unit. 4 V

With the above and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds. the invention resides in any of the novel features hereinafter more clearly set forth, illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like character designate similar parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a top plan View partly broken away of the bag holding unit forming the subject of the present invention, certain parts being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l andshowing the bag holding unit in bag releasing position.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View similar to Fig.'2 but showing the bag holding unit in clamping position.

Fig. 4 is an end view partly in section looking from the right hand side of Fig. 3 and with the rubber bumper for the clamping arms removed, and

Fig. 5 is a section along line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, referring more particularly to Figs. l and 2, the bag holding unit comprises a pair of bag holding members l0 and Il substantially U-shaped in cross section and oppositely disposed with respect to one another to form a split collar for insertion into the mouth of an open-mouth bag or the like. rlhe bag holding members are slidably mounted at their upper ends on an elevated horizontal frame I2 by means of laterally extending flanges I3 provided on opposite sides of each of said members riding on tracks Il formed by oppositely disposed angle irons secured to the inner faces of downturned flanges-i5 of the frame l2. Adjacent the flanges i3, each of the bag holding members l0 and Ii is provided with lugs it having openings to receive a pair of rods il arranged on opposite sides, respectively, of said holding members and secured at one end by nuts i3 to bag holding member le, said rods forming guiding means for bag holding member il which is slidable therealong. The opposite end of each rod il is threaded to receive a threaded nut iii which serves to limit the extent of relative movement between the bag holding mem- 7^ bers. Coil springs 20 provided on the rods Il and disposed between the bag holding members i0 and Il serve to absorb shock when said members are moved towards one another and similar springs 2l, provided on the rods Il adjacent the nuts I9, serve to absorb shock when the bag holding members are moved away from each other. The bag holding member l2 is normally urged in a direction away from bag holding member II by means of tension springs 5U secured at one end to the frame l2 and secured at their opposite ends to the rods l1.

Cooperating with each of the bag holding members l] and H is a separate pair of clamping arms 22a, 22h and 23a, 23D, respectively;A

the other pair are slidable longitudinally of their respective shafts 24 and 2S and are normally h urged away from each other by springs 2'8 interposed therebetween, each of said arms being provided with hubs 2'9 having cam surfaces t] adapted to cooperate with complementary cam surfaces 3| provided on each of the 'brackets 25 and 21 as clearly sh'o'wh in Figs. 1 and V"l, to move the clamping arms of 'each pair towards one another when 'said arms Vare rotated to clamping position. Each of the clamping 'aiiiis Vis 'provided at its lower vend 'with a separate 'rubber pad or the like 32 adapted to clamp a bag 3'3 (Figs. 3 to 5) 'against corrugatio'ns 34 formed along the outer surfaces 'of the b'ag holding members l0 and Il and to clamp the gussets 3'5 of the bag between adjacent rubber pads of each 'pair of j clamping arms.

The upper ends of the arms 22a and 22hv are provided with openings to receive 'the `opposite ends, respectively, of a vtransverse pin 31 carried at 'one 'end of va link 38 which is Vpinned 'at its other end as at 39 to lugs 46 formed 'on the undei-side -of the fiame i2 as clearly shown in `Figs. l and2. Similarly, the upper `ven'ds Aof arms 25a and 23h are connected to the 'opposite "ends, respectively, of a transverse pin '4I carried at one end of ra link 42 which is connected to 'an operV- ating rod 43, adapted to -be reciprocated'as shown by the double headed arrow in l by any suit'- able actuating mechanism (not shown) such for example as disclosed in former Patentv No. 2,159,858 heretofore mentioned, orA as ydisclosed in my co-pending application Serial- No. 56,161 filed August 26, 1942, yto move the bag holding members I!! and H and the cooperating cla-mping arms 22a, 2'2-b and 23a, 23o, respectively, to bag engaging and bag releasing positions.

Thus, movement of the operating rod 43 in one direction, for example, toward the right 4as viewed in Fig. 2, will move the bag holding members l0 and ll and the clamping arms 22a, 22h and 23a, 23h to the bag clamping position shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, and movement of the operating rod in the opposite, direction will move the parts to bag releasing position shown. in Fig. 2. In order to prevent the separate pairs of clamp.,- ing arms from striking the upper portion of the respective bag holding members, I provide rubber bumpers 45 mounted on shafts 45 supported by the brackets 25 and 21 to serve as cushioning means limiting the extent of movement of the clamping arms to bag releasing; position.

In the 'operation ofthe bag holding and clamping unit just described, when 'a paper 'bag is to be lled, the mouth of th'e vbag is slipped over the contracted holding members I'D and 11 with the gussets of the bag held in folded condition and slipped between the clamping arms of each of the separate pairs. The actuating mechanism is operated to move rod 43 and link 42 toward the right whereupon clamping arms 23a and 23h associated with bag holding member ll are rotated on the shaft 26 in clockwise direction 'clamping one side of the bag against the holding member Il. During this rotational movement of the arms 23a and 23o, the cam surfaces 39 thereof cooperate with the complementary cam surfaces 3| on the brackets 21 to move the clamping arms 23a and 23o towards each other and tightly clamp one of the gussets 35 ci the bag therebetween.

`Continued movement of the rod 43 and link 42 moves bag holding member H to the right until it Acom-presses the springs 2l after which the bag holding member l0 is also pulled in the same direction. Inasmuch as the link 58 Vis connected to a relatively xed point on the frame l2 while the fulcrum 24 of the pair of clamping arms 22a 'and 22o has moved with the bag holding member It, the arms 22a and 22h will be rocked 'on the shaft 24 in a "counterclockwise direction and 'clamp the other side of the bag against the holding mem'- ber l. As in the case of the other pair of arms 23a and 23h, during rotational movement of the arms 22a and 22h to clamping position, the cam surfaces `3l) on the hubs 279 thereof will cooperate with the cam 3| on the brackets 25 `to move said arms towards each other against the spring 2d and tightly clamp the other gusset of the bag therebetween. In practice, the foregoing series of operations of the unit from the releasing position show-n in Fig. 2 to the clamping position show-n in Fig. 3 take place almost simultaneously due to the rapid action of the actuating mecha-- msm.

The bag 33 is thus rmly suspended from the unit with the mouth thereof expanded ready to receive the lling material fed from any suit'- able hopper (not shown) through a lling lopening 48 provided -i-n the frame l2.

When the bag has been filled Aand the `contents fproperly compacted by any suitable shaking means such as 'disclosed inthe patent and (zo-pending application hereinabove mentioned, the actuating mechanism is again voperated to move rod 43 and link 42 towards the left and as the link begins its leitward movement, the springs El) pull the bag holding member H) in the same direction releasing the clamping arms 22a and 22o. Since the tension on the arms 23a and 2,319 has also been released, the `filled bag is permitted to slide off both holding members l0 and Il simultaneously by its own weight. Continued movement to the left of link 42 moves bag holding member H towards 4the bag Vholding member I and the parts finally come to rest in the position shown in Fig. 2, ready to receive another bag to repeat the cycle of operation just described.

As will be seen from Fig. 5, the clamping surfaces 32 -of the clamping arms and the corrugated portions 34 of the 'bag holding members against which they bear are 'formed as straight surfaces instead of curved as the bag holders lheretofore used so that in the clamping operation, the bag is not stretched about the holders as has been the case with curved` surfaces, thereby eliminating the likelihood of tearing the mouth of the bag. Moreover, as the clamping elements are formed as separate pairs of arms 22a, 22o and 23a, 23h, respectively. The bag may be clamped in place on the bag holders with the gussets in folded condition and tightly clamped between the arms of each pair which are movable towards one another during the clamping operation. In this manner, relatively strong supporting points are provided for the suspended bag permitting vigorous shaking to compact the contents of. the bag without danger of tearing the bag. This permits the use of bags of relatively light weight and cheap construction and since a more thorough shaking is possible due to the multiple-ply supporting points, the contents of the bag may be compacted to a relatively small volume making it possible to use smaller bags.

Furthermore, since the bag is filled with the gussets in folded position, considerable time is saved by eliminating the necessity of reforming the gussets prior to the sewing operation to close the mouth of the bag.

While I have described the bag holding unit in connection with paper bags to support the latter with the gussets in folded condition, the unit is equally adaptable to cloth bags or other types of bags not provided with gussets and in this event, the separate pairs of clamping arms will operate to clamp the opposite sides of such bag to the bag holding members and firmly support the bag for the filling and shaking operations.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction and advantages of my improved bag holding unit may be readily understood by those skilled in the art-without further description, it being borne in mind that numerous changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as set out in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a bag holder of the class described, the combination with oppositely disposed and relatively movable members forming 'a split collar for insertion into the mouth of an open-mouth bag; of a separate pair of clamping arms pivotally and slidably mounted on each of said members for pivotal movement towards and away from the respective membersand for axial movement of the arms of each pair towards and away from one another, whereby a bag having A folded gussets may be clamped in position against said split collar and with its gussets held in folded condition between the clamping arms of each pair.

2. In a bag holder of the class described, in combination, a pair of relatively movable members substantially U-shaped in cross section and oppositely disposed with respect to one another to form a split collar for insertion into the mouth of an open-mouth bag and presenting oppositely disposed straight clamping surfaces, and a separate pair of clamping arms pivotallyV and slidably mounted on each of said members and having straight clamping surfaces for movement towards and away from the clamping surfaces of respective members and for movement of the clamping surfaces of each pairY of arms towards and away from one another, whereby a bag having folded gussets may be clamped vin position between straight clamping surfaces with its gussets held in folded condition andclamped between the clamping surfaces of each pair of Y clamping members.

3. In a bag holder of the class described, in combination, a horizontal frame, relatively movable members slidably mounted on said frame and adapted for insertion into the mouth of an open-mouth bag, a separate pair of clamping arms pivotally and slidably mounted on each of said members for movement towards and away from respective members and for movement of the arms of each pair towards and away from one another, whereby a bag having folded gussets may be clamped in place on the holder with its gussets arranged in folded condition between the clamping arms of each pair, means normally maintaining the arms of each pair in spacedapart relationship, and means operable during movement of each pair of clamping arms towards respective members to move the arms of each pair towards one another whereby to clamp the iolded gussets of the bag therebetween and firmly support the bag in position.

4. A bag holder of the class described comprising a horizontal frame, relatively movable bag holding members slidably mounted on said frame and adapted for insertion into the mouth of an open-mouth bag, a separate pair of ciamping arms pivotally and slidably mounted on each of said members for movement towards and away from the latter respectively to bag-clamping and bag-releasing positions and for movement of the clamping arms of each pair towards and away from one another, whereby a bag having folded gussets may be clamped in place on said meinbers with the gussets of the bag arranged in folded condition between the clampingV arms of each pair, spring means interposed between each pair of clamping arms normally urging the clamping arms away from oneV another, and mutually cooperating cam surfaces on said clamping arms and said members, respectively, operative to move the clamping arms of each pair towards one another upon movement of the clamping arms to bag-clamping position, whereby to clamp the gussets of the bag therebetween.

5. A bag holder of the class described coinprising a horizontal frame, relatively movable bag holding members slidably mounted on said frame and adapted for insertion into the mouth of an open-mouth bag, a separate pair of clamping arms pivotally and slidably mounted on each oi; said members for movement towards and away from the latter respectively to bag-clamping and bag-releasing positions and for movement of the clamping arms oi' each pair towards and away from one another, whereby a bag having folded gussets may be clamped in place on said members with the gussets of the bag arranged in folded condition between the Vclamping arms oi eacn pair, spring means interposed between each pair of clamping arms normally urging the clamping arms away from one another, mutually cooperating cam surfaces on said clamping arms and said members, respectively, operative to move the clamping arms oi' each pair towards one another upon movement of the clamping arms tol bag-clamping position, whereby to clamp the gussets of the bag therebetween, and a resilient stop member on each of' said bag-holding members for limiting the Voutward movement oi' said clamping arms to bag-releasing position.

JACOB J. NEUMAN. l 

